The Volcano Vista Hawks will be playing in front of their home fans against the Rio Rancho Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Two weeks ago, Volcano Vista really took it to Cibola for the full four quarters, racking up a 60-14 win on the road. The victory was just what Volcano Vista needed coming off of a 35-12 defeat in their prior contest.
Ilijah Hansen went supernova for Volcano Vista, throwing for 264 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.6 yards per attempt, and also punching in three touchdowns on the ground. Aden Cardiel was another key contributor, picking up 102 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Rio Rancho had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past Cibola 48-17 on the road. The result was nothing new for Rio Rancho, who have now won four matchups by 20 points or more so far this season.
Jj Arellano had a dynamite game for Rio Rancho, throwing for 281 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 14.1 yards per attempt, and also punching in two touchdowns on the ground. Arellano was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 55 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Anthony Raymer, who gained 115 total yards and three touchdowns.
Volcano Vista's victory was their fifth straight on the road (dating back to last season), which bumped their overall record up to 6-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 38.2 points per game. Rio Rancho is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Volcano Vista has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 224.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Rio Rancho struggles in that department as they've been averaging 176.4 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Volcano Vista beat Rio Rancho 34-22 in their previous matchup back in October of 2022. Does Volcano Vista have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rio Rancho turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
